Yuri Pavlovich Gidzenko (Russian: Гидзенко, Юрий Павлович; born March 26, 1962 in the village of Elanets , Nikolaev region) is a former Colonel of the Russian Air Force, and test cosmonaut of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. He is married to Olga Vladimirovna Gidzenko, born in 1961. They have two sons, Sergei and Alexei.

Education

Gidzenko graduated from the Higher Military Pilot School in Kharkov (Ukraine) in 1983, and from the Moscow State University of Geodesy and Mapping in 1994.

Special honors

• Hero of the Russian Federation

Experience

Upon graduation from pilot school in 1983, Gidzenko served in the Air Force as a pilot and a senior pilot.

From December 1987 to June 1989, he attended basic space training as a test cosmonaut candidate. Since September 1989 he attended advanced training as a test cosmonaut candidate.

Gidzenko is an instructor of general parachute training. He has logged a total of 145 parachute jumps.

From March to October 1994 he trained for a space flight as a back-up crew commander (17th Primary Expedition/Euro-Mir-94 Program).

From November 1994 to August 1995 he attended training for a space flight aboard the Soyuz TM transport vehicle/Mir orbital complex as the Expedition 20 Primary Crew Commander (Euro-Mir-95 Program). Yuri Gidzenko served aboard Mir from September 3, 1995 to February 29, 1996, and logged 180-days in space. One of the crewmembers on this mission was an ESA astronaut.

In October 1996, Gidzenko received his assignment as the ISS-1 crewmember in Expedition 1, and started training as the ISS pilot and the Soyuz transport vehicle commander. Yuri Gidzenko served aboard the Soyuz transport vehicle/ISS/Space Shuttle from October 31, 2000 to 21 March 2001, and logged an additional 140 days in space.

Since August 2001 Gidzenko has been training as the Taxi-3 crew commander. Launch is scheduled for April 22, 2002.

JANUARY 2002

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